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Related Concept Videos

The Endoplasmic Reticulum01:43

The Endoplasmic Reticulum

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The endoplasmic reticulum or ER makes up for more than half of the membranes in a cell and accounts for 10% of total cell volume. It is also the primary protein and lipid synthesis factory for most cell organelles, such as the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, secretory vesicles, and the plasma membrane. Despite being the most extensive and functionally complex subcellular organelle, ER was the last to be discovered. After years of deliberation, Keith Porter and George Palade in the year 1954,...
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Endoplasmic Reticulum01:39

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The Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) in eukaryotic cells is a substantial network of interconnected membranes with diverse functions, from calcium storage to biomolecule synthesis. A primary component of the endomembrane system, the ER manufactures phospholipids critical for membrane function throughout the cell. Additionally, the two distinct regions of the ER specialize in the manufacture of specific lipids and proteins.
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Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum01:21

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Smooth endoplasmic reticulum or smooth ER is a sub-organelle with specialized functions in animal cells and plant cells. It is often associated with the tubule morphology of the endoplasmic reticulum.
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Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER01:28

Assembly of the Lipid Bilayer in the ER

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Biological membranes are more than just a barrier separating cell cytoplasm from the outside environment. They are highly dynamic and help maintain the integrity and physiological stability of the cells as well as membrane-bound organelles. Membranes also play vital roles in cell-to-cell and intracellular communication.
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Golgi Apparatus01:49

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As they leave the Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), properly folded and assembled proteins are selectively packaged into vesicles. These vesicles are transported by microtubule-based motor proteins and fuse together to form vesicular tubular clusters, subsequently arriving at the Golgi apparatus, a eukaryotic endomembrane organelle that often has a distinctive ribbon-like appearance.
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Introduction to Membrane Traffic01:44

Introduction to Membrane Traffic

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The ER, Golgi apparatus, endosomes, and lysosomes work in tandem to modify, sort, and package proteins and lipids. An integrated membrane trafficking network facilitates the back and forth shuttling of molecules within different organelles in the same cell or across the cell membrane.
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Spontaneous Formation and Rearrangement of Artificial Lipid Nanotube Networks as a Bottom-Up Model for Endoplasmic Reticulum
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The endoplasmic reticulum as an active liquid network.

Zubenelgenubi C Scott1, Samuel B Steen2, Greg Huber3

  • 1Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|October 11, 2024
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

A new physical model describes the peripheral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as an active liquid network. This model explains how ER network structure and dynamics emerge from basic principles of tubule growth and shrinkage.

Keywords:
endoplasmic reticulumnetworksorganelle structurephysical modelingsubcellular dynamics

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • The peripheral endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms a dynamic, interconnected network of tubules in eukaryotic cells.
  • Understanding the large-scale topology and dynamics of the ER network remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a quantitative physical model of the ER network.
  • To elucidate the principles governing ER network structure and dynamics.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a minimalist physical model of the ER as an active liquid network.
  • The model balances tension-driven shrinking with new tubule growth.
  • Compared model predictions with ER architecture in live mammalian cells.

Main Results:

  • The model predicts steady-state network structures with characteristic density and rearrangement timescales.
  • Parameter-independent geometric features of the model align with observed ER architecture.
  • The model connects timescales of distinct dynamic processes like ring closure and tubule growth.

Conclusions:

  • The liquid network model provides a framework for understanding ER morphology and dynamics.
  • Cellular-scale ER network structure arises from the balance of microscopic dynamic rearrangements.
  • This work bridges the gap between molecular-level dynamics and emergent network properties.